The following is a list of characters for the Altair: A Record of Battles series.
Characters Main characters
A 19-year-old (17 at the start of the series), Mahmut is the youngest member of the Divan and youngest to achieve the rank of Pasha. Mahmut hails from the Tuğril tribe, a village of expert falconers that was destroyed during the war with the Balt-Rhein Empire twelve years before the series. After the death of his mother and the destruction of his home, Mahmut pushes himself to pass the army entrance test at the age of twelve, and seeks perpetual peace for his country. At the beginning of the series, Mahmut has been Pasha only for a short time and lacks the maturity to understand his position. Initially idealistic and naïve, Mahmut's single-minded goal to protect his country, as well as his aloofness, has made him inconsiderate and reckless. After acting on his own to stop the Hisar Rebellion, Mahmut is temporarily demoted from Pasha and begins traveling around West Rumeliana to gain more experience outside of Turkey. After resolving the civil war, Mahmut regains his Pasha rank and is appointed to handle foreign military affairs. Mahmut's exploits against the empire continue to grant him more prestige, and he is eventually appointed second-in-command of Zağanos's Imperial Invasion army by the Divan, leading the defense of Turkey from the empire's advances, to the point of his allies start calling him "Star of Hope". For his efforts in the war, Mahmut is awarded rule over the Mızrak Province, determined to establish a trade network between Turkey and their neighboring countries in the east. Over the course of the series, Mahmut becomes more mature and aware of the complicated politics between nations, while accepting that fighting is unavoidable sometimes, but still tries to minimize bloodshed. Mahmut's honesty, integrity, and cleverness earns the respect of those around him. Aside from possessing a high intellect and a knack for strategies, he is self-taught in Tuğril tribe falconer techniques and is able to direct his beloved tame golden eagle, Iskender, to deadly effect. Due to his youth, people outside of Greater Turkey tend to underestimate Mahmut, allowing him to catch opponents by surprise with his skills as a fighter and strategist. Mahmut is often complimented for his good looks and enjoys writing poetry in his free time. He tends to be naïve and easily flustered around women when they interact with him in a unprofessional manner and is often teased by his friends for this "weakness".
Kyros is the 19-year-old (17 at the start of the series) son of the former caesar of Phoiníkē, Apollodorus, with whom he has a very estranged relationship. Kyros has a rebellious nature and is reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps, which entices him to become the Phoiníkē spy for Süleyman. After the fall of his home, Kyros becomes Mahmut's traveling companion and joins him in his efforts to stop the Balt-Rhein Empire, hoping to one day to reclaim his homeland. In comparison to the more naïve and polite Mahmut, Kyros is more street-wise, sarcastic, and temperamental, though he is able to conduct himself in formal matters. Since Venedik failed to aid Phoiníkē, Kyros holds a grudge against them and was distrustful of Abiriga as a result, but has come to respect him and be more friendly towards him as they travel together. Being a Phoiníkē noble and a citizen of a harbor town, Kyros is well-educated in sea warfare and is knowledgeable about different parts of the world. Although he does not battle often, Kyros is a capable fighter and owns a galley ship back in Phoiníkē with a crew made up of his childhood friends. He continues to put his espionage skills to use as he travels with Mahmut, as he is usually tasked to handle things outside of battle and acts as a liaison for Turkey with Süleyman as the Great Rumeliana War escalates.
A 30-year-old (28 at the start of the series) former slave from Tharros, Abiriga is the first mate of Captain Silvestro Brega of the Venedik fleet and Brega's adopted son. When he was thirteen, Abiriga was sold off by his biological parents, but was able to escape and then saved by Brega, who paid for his freedom and took him in. After testing Mahmut's worth and being "purchased" for his services, he is assigned to Mahmut to be his companion and to spy on Turkey's activities for Venedik. Although Mahmut treats him as an equal, Abiriga respectfully addresses Mahmut as "Padrone" and diligently carries out his orders. Despite joining Mahmut out of duty, Abiriga comes to respect him greatly and proves to be a valuable ally, even delaying his reports to Venedik in order to see the end results of Mahmut's plans. Abiriga possesses high-level agility and very few people can match him in battle. He knows many forms of combat and weaponry, carrying numerous weapons that are hidden under his long coat, but prefers to use a long blowpipe as his default weapon. Having trained and groomed himself to serve Brega to the best of his ability, Abiriga is mature, level-headed, courteous, and usually sports a placid smile on his face.
Greater Turkey Greater Turkey is a federation made up of five stratocracies — Turkey, Mızrak, Balta, Biçki, and Kiliç — founded 75 years before the series. While the other four are ruled by a sultan, the Turkey stratocracy is the largest of the five, being the dominating power of Greater Turkey and is ruled by the Divan. Turkey stratocracy is divided into thirteen provinces governed by a Vizier and its capital city is Altın. Greater Turkey is very wealthy and the Turks are well known for their equestrian skills. Among the Tripartite Military Alliance and other anti-imperialists nations, Turkey contributes the most to the war efforts against Balt-Rhein and is the leading force against them.
Turkey Stratocracy
At 28-year-old (26 at the start of the series), Zağanos is the second youngest of the Divan, attaining the rank of Pasha when he was nineteen, and one of the 13 Pashas who is a Vizier. He is the governor of the 1st Province of the Turkey stratocracy and has forged a spy network throughout the continent. Calculating and ambitious, Zağanos is part of the war faction of the Divan and wishes to stop Balt-Rhein's expansion war at all costs. He has no qualms in making ruthless decisions to further his goals, and seeks to reorganize the Anti-Imperial Alliance to a hegemony dominated by Turkey. Despite clashing with Mahmut occasionally, Zağanos develops a level of respect for him, though he is also willing to take advantage of Mahmut when it suits him. He is known as the "Poison General" due to his interest in botany and has a large collection of poisons. It is later revealed that Zağanos is a former citizen of the Balt-Rhein Empire and the son of the former Hermann, Marquis Camus, and his real name is "Astolphe". He holds a deep grudge against the empire for ruining his family and uses his in-depth knowledge of the empire to gain the upper hand in the war against them. After the war, Zağanos is awarded rule over the recently-annexed Balt-Rhein territories, becoming the de-facto ruler of his former country of birth.
A 35-year-old (33 at the start of the series) man, Süleyman is a spymaster known as the Göz Kulak Başkan ("chief of eyes and ears") of the Turkey spy network for Zağanos and constantly travels around the world to maintain its efficiency. Like Mahmut, he is a survivor from the Tuğril tribe, having been away from the village during its destruction. Süleyman is a former assistant of Giovanni di Orsani, but left his service once he heard of the Tuğril tribe massacre. Devastated over his family's death, Süleyman wandered aimlessly over Turkey until he met a fourteen-year-old Zağanos and took up his offer to forge a spy network five years later. Süleyman is typically easy-going and friendly, allowing him to befriend others and help build the spy network. After meeting Mahmut for the first time, Süleyman becomes a mentor-like figure to him and shares the same desire to maintain peace for Turkey. As a falconer, he owns a golden eagle named Caterina and is able to direct her to deadly effect in combat.
At 70-year-old (68 at the start of the series), Halil is the eldest member of the Divan, governor of the 7th Province, and one of the 13 Pashas that hold the rank of Vizier. Halil is the most influential Pasha among the pacifist faction in the Divan. A wise and peaceful man who specializes in Urban design, Halil devotes himself to war restorations after the first war with Balt-Rhein and his jovial yet grounded personality makes him well-respected and well-loved by all. He is Mahmut's adopted father and mentor, though he never shields Mahmut from the consequences of his actions and encourages him to learn from his mistakes. During the second war against Balt-Rhein, Haili is appointed general of the expedition army, but is later killed in battle against General Pineau's army. Besides being Mahmut's foster father, Halil has a wife and children, who are still alive.
Referred to only by his title, Büyük Pasha, or "Great Pasha", is the 42-year-old (41 at the start of the series) highest rank Pasha of the Divan and is the head of Turkey stratocracy. As such, he oversees the Divan's meetings and acts as the mediator when discussing administration and wartime affairs. He places a lot of trust in Zağanos and often favors his suggestions on political and military issues.
An 18-year-old (16 at the start of the series) girl, Shara is a member of the Lir Esnaf (Lyre Guild), the most popular all-female theater troupe in Turkey, and constantly plays the female leads. Energetic, bold, and friendly, Shara is a good friend to both Mahmut and Ibrahim, and is always willing to help them.
Ibrahim is the 26-year-old (24 at the start of the series) governor of Hisar village in Turkey's 1st Province, and is therefore Zağanos's subordinate and a Binbashi. During his time in the military school, Ibrahim befriends Mahmut, becoming the only person to get close to him and actively encourages Mahmut to be more social. A kind and loving person, Ibrahim has a wife and twin sons who also reside in Hisar.
Saruça is the 29-year-old governor of the 3rd Province, and one of the 13 Pashas that also hold the rank of Vizier. The Tesisat-Kapı clan is the oldest clan in Greater Turkey and his family has always been on good terms with the four sultanates. Saruça is a supporter of the sultanates' apparent desire to gain equal power to the Turkey stratocracy, to the point of refusing to believe that they are involved with Balt-Rhein in any way. When tasked to make sure the four sultans attend Orhan's wedding in order to enact an assassination, Saruça tells Balaban about the plot instead and is later killed on the latter's orders.
Kurt is a 37-year-old (36 at the start of the series) Pasha from the 8th Province and one of the generals that serve under Halil's expedition army. After Halil's death, Kurt is assigned to serve under Mahmut's command and soon becomes a close and loyal companion to him. Bold and honorable, Kurt is a very gregarious individual who always speaks his mind when he does not agree with something. After the war, Kurt Kurt is appointed the new governor of Chielo.
Ahmet is a 17-year-old (15 at the start of the series) soldier from the 7th Province and serves in Halil's expedition army. After Halil's death and taking part in resolving the Chielo conflict, Ahmet is assigned to serve directly under Mahmut's command and is promoted to Binbashi. Ahmet is thoughtful and kind, though his youth and rank make him a little inexperienced in some matters.